Rejuvenate your mind, body and spirit at one of these relaxation-focused properties.
As Americans continue to pay more attention to their overall health and wellness, they’re seeking fitness amenities, detoxes, stress management and even professional advice from physicians while on vacation. According to a December 2021 report by the Global Wellness Institute, “The Global Wellness Economy: Looking Beyond Covid,” experts predict that the wellness economy will increase at an annual rate of 9.9% between 2020 and 2025, with wellness tourism growing at an annual rate of 20.9%. The GWI report also states that the COVID-19 pandemic has made everyone more aware of their lifestyles – what we eat, where we live and how we exercise, socialize and travel – and how that impacts our health and long-term well-being.
If you’re looking for a getaway to rejuvenate or improve how you feel, consider immersing yourself in holistic wellness and self-care during your next vacation. You’ll return home feeling happier, healthier and revitalized after visiting one of these top wellness retreats.
Cal-A-Vie Health Spa: Vista, California
Cal-A-Vie Health Spa is a French Provencal-inspired destination resort that sits on 450 acres about 45 miles north of San Diego. The property features 32 individual villa accommodations, a country club, an 18-hole golf course and a 5-to-1 staff-to-guest ratio. Wellness programs at the spa combine California’s focus on health and nutrition with European spa philosophies. There are three-, four- and seven-night vacation packages with fitness classes, mind-body awareness programs, lectures and guest speakers. Guests will also enjoy chef-prepared gourmet cuisine, beauty and spa treatments, and outdoor activities like hiking and tennis. The property is popular for hosting special events or weddings with an elegant decor that includes antiques and historic European artifacts, including a 400-year-old chapel from Dijon, France.
Rejuvenate your mind, body and spirit at one of these relaxation-focused properties.
As Americans continue to pay more attention to their overall health and wellness, they’re seeking fitness amenities, detoxes, stress management and even professional advice from physicians while on vacation. According to a December 2021 report by the Global Wellness Institute, “The Global Wellness Economy: Looking Beyond Covid,” experts predict that the wellness economy will increase at an annual rate of 9.9% between 2020 and 2025, with wellness tourism growing at an annual rate of 20.9%. The GWI report also states that the COVID-19 pandemic has made everyone more aware of their lifestyles – what we eat, where we live and how we exercise, socialize and travel – and how that impacts our health and long-term well-being.
If you’re looking for a getaway to rejuvenate or improve how you feel, consider immersing yourself in holistic wellness and self-care during your next vacation. You’ll return home feeling happier, healthier and revitalized after visiting one of these top wellness retreats.
Cal-A-Vie Health Spa: Vista, California
Cal-A-Vie Health Spa is a French Provencal-inspired destination resort that sits on 450 acres about 45 miles north of San Diego. The property features 32 individual villa accommodations, a country club, an 18-hole golf course and a 5-to-1 staff-to-guest ratio. Wellness programs at the spa combine California’s focus on health and nutrition with European spa philosophies. There are three-, four- and seven-night vacation packages with fitness classes, mind-body awareness programs, lectures and guest speakers. Guests will also enjoy chef-prepared gourmet cuisine, beauty and spa treatments, and outdoor activities like hiking and tennis. The property is popular for hosting special events or weddings with an elegant decor that includes antiques and historic European artifacts, including a 400-year-old chapel from Dijon, France.
CIVANA Wellness Resort & Spa: Scottsdale, Arizona
Situated high in the Sonoran Desert, just outside Scottsdale, the concept at CIVANA, a 20-acre wellness resort, is “happiness first, healthiness always.” Guests of the property will have time to “awaken the soul, free the mind and connect.” And the resort’s philosophy is that “happiness isn’t a place; it’s a state.” The property’s individualized programs offer an alternative to wellness resorts that feel regimented or prescriptive with a flexible experience where guests can immerse themselves as much as they want to into CIVANA’s wellness programs. The resort also offers a retreat for people who just need to relax and unplug with modern accommodations, a world-class spa with healing treatments, wellness classes and studio sessions. What’s more, CIVANA features a farm-to-table restaurant and a cafe with a plant-forward menu as the on-site dining options.
Castle Hot Springs: Arizona
Castle Hot Springs’ 1,100-acre property is nestled in the Sonoran Desert against the backdrop of the Bradshaw Mountains. Located 50 miles outside of Phoenix, the resort provides a nature-driven wellness and adventure experience focused on self-care. The resort’s restorative approach incorporates the surrounding natural elements in all of the programming and activities. Guest are encouraged to disconnect from their stressful day-to-day lives and focus on the mind, body and soul. This restorative concept is included in everything from invigorating soaks in the ancient thermal hot springs to stretching before heading out on a ride on horseback or even a guided tour to see the remote slot canyons. Organic and sustainable “flavor farming” is a priority here, with a focus on the flavor rather than size and yield of more than 150 different crops, including heirloom tomatoes, indigenous fruits, vegetables, herbs and much more. Castle Hot Springs offers various packages that pair stays with spa treatments, hot springs soaks, yoga, adventure activities, sleep programs and more.
Address: 5050 N. Castle Hot Springs Road, Morristown, AZ 85342
Eupepsia Wellness Resort: Bland, Virginia
Situated on 256 open acres surrounded by Virginia’s Blue Ridge Mountains, Eupepsia provides guests with an immersive and transformative experience. The property’s philosophy is founded on science-based principles and Ayurveda, a natural form of medicine that originated in India more than 3,000 years ago. The integrated programs at the resort are centered around sound sleep, fitness and yoga therapies, progressive health and clean, plant-based organic farm-to-table dining. Individual plans are created for each guest based on their personal goals and health condition. Visitors choose from personalized programs to help de-stress, detox or lose weight and rejuvenate with advanced healing by using magneto, flotation and halo therapies. Guest rooms at the property include 26 contemporary-style bedrooms. Some rooms even have bunk beds to accommodate families with children.
Pritikin Longevity Center + Spa: Miami, Florida
Pritikin’s curated wellness programs are designed to meet the individual needs of each guest – and they feature one-on-one consultations with leading health experts, which may include registered dieticians, exercise physiologists and cardiologists. To create a customized path forward, guests may be required to have comprehensive bloodwork analysis, exercise tolerance tests, heart-rate monitoring during fitness sessions, body scans, sleep studies and other assessments. Under the supervision of Pritikin’s team of experts, guests leave with the sustainable knowledge of how to shop for and cook healthy meals, continue the fitness and exercise plan and build the resilience to rest and recover properly at home. Accommodations at the property include recently renovated rooms and suites with garden views. Spa services, meditation and yoga classes, golf, tennis and a cooking school are some other amenities available during a stay at Pritikin.
Address: 8755 NW 36th St., Miami, FL 33178
Road Scholar Health & Wellness Retreats: U.S. and Canada
The not-for-profit tour operator Road Scholar offers educational travel and programming for approximately 100,000 adults age 50 and older each year. Travelers can register for one of the company’s six health and wellness trips, which include experiences with like-minded individuals in Arizona, California, New Mexico and North Carolina. It’s important to mention that the average age of the program participants is 72 and most of them are women. One of the most popular programs is the Yoga for Wellness and Daily Living: The 8 Limbs of Yoga – a six-day retreat at the Montreat Conference Center in North Carolina’s Blue Ridge Mountains.
Sensei Lanai, A Four Seasons Resort: Lanai City, Hawaii
Located on the remote Hawaiian island of Lanai, Sensei Lanai is an adults-only luxurious wellness retreat that offers a program coordinated with the resort’s co-founder and author, Dr. David Agus. Guests of the property will learn the concept of the Sensei Way. This philosophy is guided by three paths – movement, nourishment and rest. During your stay, a trained team of Sensei Guides will offer support with this approach, which promotes preventative care and healthy lifestyle choices. Specially curated programs can include private sessions, spa services, fitness and wellness classes and other activities at the resort and on the island, such as horseback riding, 4×4 jeep excursions, archery, tennis, sporting clays and more. Dining is a highlight with locally grown produce and healthy cuisine created by renowned chef Nobu Matsuhisa.
Miraval Austin: Austin, Texas
Miraval Austin is situated on more than 280 tranquil acres in the Balconies Canyonlands Preserve in the Texas Hill Country. The resort offers various programs and facilities – including an equine center – and guests can center on pursuits such as fitness, yoga, meditation and healthy eating. The property’s all-inclusive transformative experience promotes a life in balance by focusing on nurturing physical and emotional well-being and rest. Guests can also book life-affirming private sessions and take guidance and inspiration from Miraval’s staff specialists. These skilled specialists are trained in sound healing, spirituality, tarot card reading, exercise physiology, crystal healing and reiki.
Address: 13500 FM2769, Austin, TX 78726
Cavallo Point – The Lodge at the Golden Gate: Sausalito, California
Admire the iconic Golden Gate Bridge and take in city views and San Francisco Bay breezes at Cavallo Point, a historic 142-room luxury lodge situated in the Golden Gate National Recreation Area. The property offers several health-focused options, including an integrative medicine program that addresses issues from chronic health problems to finding a work-life balance. At Cavallo Point, guests can book therapeutic massages and learn about the healing arts and the benefits of using herbs. The property also offers meditation, Reiki and hypnotherapy sessions.
The Lodge at Woodloch: Hawley, Pennsylvania
The Lodge at Woodloch – an all-inclusive destination spa resort – maintains a philosophy of personal awakening. During their stay, guests can re-focus their energies on physical and emotional well-being away from the everyday routines and stresses of life. The Lodge features more than 35 classes and offerings that are included in the price. One of these activities is Creative Discovery, with art classes like watercolor painting and Zendoodle. Guests may also enjoy Outdoor Discovery, which includes foraging, forest bathing, hiking and winter sports like snowshoeing. In addition, guests can attend fitness and wellness classes and cooking demonstrations, and book therapeutic treatments at the spa. The spa’s Contrast Therapy offerings include a new snow room, a co-ed Himalayan salt sauna and a Tyrolean bucket shower. The benefits of this therapy circuit are healthy skin and an overall sense of feeling refreshed and alive. Spa cuisine is another highlight at this Poconos resort, with many ingredients sourced from the on-site garden.
Golden Door: San Marcos, California
Refresh your body and mind in a serene, Japanese-inspired atmosphere at Golden Door. This exclusive 600-acre retreat 38 miles north of San Diego features 40 single occupancy rooms with a private garden or patio surrounded by a bamboo forest, Koi ponds and Japanese gardens. The property offers highly personalized adults-only, four-, five- or seven-night programs. With up to four personal training sessions per week and more than 40 other fitness classes, mindfulness sessions and activities, guests will regain inner balance and strength and feel refreshed and rejuvenated physically and emotionally. Golden Door also focuses on farm-to-table cuisine with ingredients grown on-site, hyper-local sourced foods and farm-fresh eggs. Other amenities include 25 miles of private trails for hiking, two labyrinths, two swimming pools, and a spa offering healing treatments and a Watsu water therapy pool.
Canyon Ranch: Arizona, Massachusetts and California
Ten years after Canyon Ranch’s flagship resort opened in Tucson in 1979, the wellness resort brand opened its second location in an elegant mansion in the Berkshires, approximately 145 miles north of New York City. A third location, Canyon Ranch Woodside, is also available 35 miles southeast of San Francisco. Wellness retreats at these properties include luxury lodging, nutritional dining and your choice of activities, such as Pilates, medical consultations, massages, cooking demonstrations and meditation. You can also book various retreats and special events at the resorts. If you’d rather spend only one day at Canyon Ranch, visit the spa and fitness location in Las Vegas. The company also has three new locations planned for Texas in Austin, Fort Worth and Houston.
Red Mountain Resort: Irvins, Utah
Situated in Southwestern Utah’s red rock bluffs, approximately 125 miles northeast of Las Vegas, Red Mountain Resort offers whole-body wellness programs in an awe-inspiring setting. The resort can accommodate as many as 210 guests in double- or king-bed Desert Oasis rooms or one- to two-bedroom luxury villas. Select rooms are also pet-friendly. The resort’s “Essential Retreat” packages (for ages 18 and older) offer a balance of self-paced adventure and rejuvenation. The plans include accommodations, three healthy meals a day, guided hikes (which are at the heart of the programming), daily activities and use of resort amenities. The “Essential Zion Adventure Retreat” even includes a full day at the national park. You can also choose a “Stay & Play” package where all of the experiences and meals are a la carte. Personal training and one-on-one assessments are available. And wellness workshops and personal discovery experiences include yoga in Snow Canyon, acoustic acupuncture, chakra balancing and shamanic energy healing.
Rancho Valencia Resort & Spa: San Diego, California
This five-star Relais & Châteaux property is regarded as one of the top luxury resorts in the world for fitness and wellness seekers. Rancho Valencia sits on 45 acres of gardens and citrus groves and features 49 beautifully appointed private casitas with patios and fireplaces and three luxurious private residences. More than 97 rejuvenating programs and complimentary fitness classes per week by top-tier professionals are available, including yoga sessions at the open-air Serenity Yoga Pavilion and Pilates classes. The fitness center also boasts state-of-the-art equipment from Peloton, Cybex, Precor and Woodway. After an intense workout, guests can enjoy cold-pressed fresh juices or protein shakes. Tennis enthusiasts will appreciate access to 13 Plexipave courts and three red clay courts. Other outdoor pursuits include the growing game of pickleball, badminton, croquet and bocce.
Mii amo: Sedona, Arizona
Set to reopen in February 2023 after an extensive $40 million renovation and expansion, this beautiful destination spa resort will offer 23 new or renovated casita rooms and suites, a new light-filled fitness wing, a dedicated consultation wing boasting views of Boynton Canyon, a private suite of spaces for Journey guests and much more. The property will also feature a new signature restaurant, a sensory garden, a two-story movement and fitness center, a reflexology path and enhanced public spaces. Mii amo offers traditional three-, four- and seven-night packages and a new 10-night Journey experience for mindfulness renewal, rejuvenation and well-being.
Lake Austin Spa Resort: Austin, Texas
Located just a short drive from downtown Austin, this 40-room luxury spa retreat sits along the shore of Lake Austin in the Texas Hill Country. The property’s all-inclusive pricing covers accommodations, gourmet dining, discovery programs and unlimited fitness activities. Upon arrival, the resort’s team of wellness experts will create a tailored program of total wellness for the body, mind and spirit. Private sessions include fitness evaluations, meditation and yoga, stress management, guidance for your wellness journey, trail outings and aquatic-focused treatments to improve strength and cardio stamina. Lake Austin Spa Resort also offers nutrition, weight management and disease prevention classes with a licensed dietician and culinary experiences around conscientious and healthy cuisine. This thoughtful approach to eating is referred to as “The Nurturing Table,” which includes locally sourced ingredients and produce from the property’s gardens.
The Ranch Malibu: Malibu, California
The Ranch Malibu offers one-week to multiweek wellness retreats for individuals, couples or groups of up to 25 guests at its location in Malibu. The intense fitness and wellness programs are designed to reset the body and mind, focusing on an organic plant-based nutritional diet, overall health, weight loss and mental wellness goals. The resort also has a four-day or weeklong experience at its second location, a medical wellness retreat in Italy, The Ranch Italy at Palazzo Fiuggi. While attending the programs, all guests will have a morning hike, afternoon strength classes, yoga sessions and a daily massage. A third location is set to open in Hudson Valley, New York, in the fall of 2023.
Three Forks Ranch: Savery, Wyoming
This 200,000-acre working cattle ranch is situated in the picturesque Rocky Mountains, 40 miles north of Steamboat Springs on the Colorado-Wyoming border. The luxury property features just 15 rooms and suites, a 6,000-square-foot spa and 100 staff members to cater to guests on their wellness journey. The property’s program, in partnership with The Mayo Clinic, includes five assessments that measure your current physical conditioning. The individualized data-driven plan will then focus on your personal goals, depending on how active you are – and how active you want to become. You’ll also have virtual access to a Mayo Clinic physician during your stay, should the need arise. Fitness and mental wellness activities include traditional gym training to Pilates, barre, meditation, sound therapy and aerial yoga. There are also plenty of outdoor adventures like hiking, fly-fishing, snowmobiling and snowshoeing. What’s more, at The Kitchen Academy, guests will learn the benefits of healthy and sustainable dining habits.
The Art of Living Retreat Center: Boone, North Carolina
Nestled in the tranquil setting of North Carolina’s Blue Ridge Mountains, The Art of Living Retreat Center is the perfect environment for individuals searching for a transformative and healing experience. The dedicated team of Ayurveda specialists merge the traditions of the ancient natural system of medicine with yoga, diet, massage, relaxing steam treatments and herbal supplements to help guests achieve their wellness goals. The center offers cleanse and detox retreats, and programs centered around relief for anxiety, stress, insomnia and depression. The staff also offers ways to manage inflammation with diet, exercise, mindfulness practices and other techniques. A three-day Happiness Retreat teaches the unique method of breathing meditation. This technique is one of the ways guests can learn to manage stress, seasonal affective disorder, interpersonal relationships and other issues that affect health – and gain a sense of overall wellness and happiness.
Hilton Head Health: Hilton Head, South Carolina
Hilton Head Health offers vacations with a purpose, with wellness education, fitness classes, a rejuvenating spa, beaches and gourmet dining. The property’s holistic approach to better health equips guests with the knowledge to continue the plan once they return home. During your stay you’ll work with trainers, coaches, dieticians and counselors to gain a new perspective on living a healthy lifestyle. These steps to well-being include increased mobility, a nutritional meal plan, meditation and other ways to achieve longevity. And you can plan to stay for just a few days – or a week – to reach your goals. The property also offers weight loss retreats with an all-inclusive residential stay and an extended four-week comprehensive LoseWell program. Guests can reserve accommodations at the new on-site 30-room Lowcountry-inspired Sweetgrass Inn or book a one-, two- or three-bedroom private villa.
Skyterra: Pisgah Forest, North Carolina
This intimate wellness retreat in the Western North Carolina’s Pisgah National Forest hosts just 35 guests (or fewer) as they make their journey to a healthier lifestyle. The philosophy at the property is to encourage modifications to your daily habits at home that will sustain the progress gained while in the program. These changes include regular eating with whole and nutritious foods, consistent movement and stress management. Daily activities include hikes in the mountains, fitness, yoga, pool classes and therapeutic spa treatments designed for relaxation and recovery. Other focus areas in the resort’s customized plans include self-care at home, weight loss, increased mobility, recreation and adventure and mindfulness. Skyterra offers all-inclusive one-, two- or three-week and longer programs that include accommodations in a private lodge or cottage, all meals, more than 80 classes each week, airport shuttle service and Wi-Fi access.
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